France Football editor-in-chief: The Ballon d'Or was decided by a narrow margin between Mbappé and Kane

Kylian Mbappé, star of Real Madrid, has come close to winning the 2026 Ballon d'Or, but he settled for second place behind Englishman Harry Kane, despite topping the scoring charts in LaLiga, the UEFA Champions League, and the FIFA World Cup during the season.

According to French site "Foot Mercato", Kylian Mbappé was a serious contender for the award, especially given the lack of a clear favorite, despite not winning any major title. The French star also achieved his best ranking in the history of his participation in the award, surpassing Spanish player Lamine Yamal.

In this context, Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of "France Football", confirmed that the competition between Mbappé and Kane was decided by a very narrow margin during his talk on the "L'Équipe du Soir" program.

García said: "There were several good candidates this year, and the two closest to winning are the ones in first and second place, Harry Kane and Kylian. The points difference between them was not large, it was less than the difference between Rodri and Vinícius in 2024, which was 41 points."

The editor-in-chief of "France Football" added: "Mbappé had a very good campaign, and he succeeded in explaining what he has done and convincing people and the members of the judging committee, as the competition was decided by a very narrow margin. He was also able to highlight the value of what he presented during a year that saw the FIFA World Cup."

García concluded his statements by saying: "Kylian remained at the top of the race for a long time, before Harry Kane returned to the competition, with the matter being decided by a very small margin of points. I was able to predict the outcome, and I was following it live, so I didn't feel any special emotions."